


The Big Guy

by AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Angst, Bruce Feels, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Making Friends With The Hulk, Parenthood, Secret Children, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 13:57:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15607776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound
Summary: Meeting the Hulk on your artistic retreat to the mountains leads you to a life on the run and keeping your child's nature from the world





	1. The Big Guy

The first time you met the Hulk you had been sitting out in a field at the edge of the forest that bordered the land your family cabin was set on.  You had come up here to disconnect from the world. To paint.  To write.  To just be alone with your thoughts.

The cabin was perfect for it.  There was no phone or internet.  There wasn’t even signal on your cell.  You were completely removed.

The first morning after you had arrived you were sitting in the field painting the sunrise coming up through the trees.  There was a blanket of mist over the ground and the way the soft pink light of the just rising sun played off it was almost ethereal.  The forest was noisy, with the early morning animals and birds up and chattering.

There was a sudden crash followed by a low rumble and what looked like hundreds of birds burst out of the canopy.  You only had enough time to look up and register what had happened when the green, giant of a man came crashing out into the field, pushing a tree right over as he smashed through the fence.

People always say there’s a fight or flight response to danger.  You had neither.  The Hulk stood, staring at you with a look of pure rage on his face.  He was hunched over and breathing so heavily his whole body rose and fell.  He roared at you.  The sound filled the whole area making birds fly up from the forest all around.  You didn’t flinch.  You didn’t run.  You didn’t put your hands up to defend yourself.  You just stared at him.  Frozen.

There’s a theory that if ever faced with a much larger predator who is not hungry, it’s best to just stand your ground.  Don’t fight, because then they see you as a threat and they attack in self-defense.  Don’t run either because then catching you becomes a game.  Just show no fear and stand your ground.  They’re not threatened by you and they don’t see you as easy prey so they leave you alone.

Whether this is actually true or not you have no idea.  But what happened that morning was, he roared again but quieter this time.  He huffed, shaking his body and ran off into the forest on the far side of the field.

The second time you saw him, you were trying to untangle a deer stuck in your fence by its horns.  It was proving very difficult because no matter what angle you came in on him at, he’d spin around and try to kick you.

You became aware of something watching you and saw him skulking in the shadows.  Eventually, he came over and held the deer in one of his enormous hands.  For a moment you thought he was going to take it and eat it.   Instead, he just held it still and looked at you.  You approached slowly untangling the horns and he let it go into the forest.  He looked down at you and you stared up into his bright green eyes. He nodded and he was gone.

The third time you were outside cooking on the grill.  You’d taken a trip into the town and gotten some fresh supplies and decided it would be nice to eat out in the sun.  The smell of the food cooking must have drawn him out.  He came over to you a little like a scared animal.  Dashing forward, slinking back again.  Until he was right up near you looking from you to the grill.  You didn’t think there was anyway what was on there could be enough to feed him, but you got a plate and filled it and held it up.  He tentatively approached and took it taking it a couple of feet away from you.  He sat down on the ground heavily, and then very daintily started eating the food.  You touched your chest and said your name.  He stopped eating and looked at you.  His hand went to his chest.  “Hulk.”  He said.

“Do you want more?”  You asked.

He nodded his head and you added more food to the grill.

And so it went.  He came around more and more, until the point you were spending whole days together.  He started becoming more verbal with you.  Telling you things he liked and things he didn’t.  You rigged a hose off the solar hot water so he could shower outside and bought a big bar of berry scented soap.  It was from a place that sliced it off a large wheel.  You ended up buying half the wheel even though it was ridiculously expensive.  He was quite grateful and would shower behind your house every day. You bought fabric and very roughly sewed him new pants.  He wore them happily.

One day he lay in the sun and let you paint on him like he was a canvas and then take a photo of the end work.  You played games with him.  Roughhousing in a way where you knew he was actually being extremely gentle and play acting getting hurt.  Like mother lion teaching her cubs how to hunt.  You got him his own large paints and he painted the side of the old barn.  Big childlike paintings in bright colors.

You had originally planned to only stay on your retreat for a month.  In the end, you extended it to two.  You didn’t know what to do.  Even though you knew the Hulk could look after himself, he was in so many ways like a huge toddler.  You felt protective of him.  But more than that.  He was your friend, and you were worried about leaving him alone.

The two of you sat in the field and you made a daisy chain as he watched on.  “I really like you, big guy.  You know?”  You said, as you diligently threaded the stem of on flower through the next.

“Hulk like you too.”  He said in his deep rumble.  “You fun.”

“Thank you.”  You said and held the now completed chain up.  He dipped his head and you put it on him like a crown.  “Looks good.”

“Hulk want to see.”  He said.

You took a photo with your camera and held it out to him so he could see the preview screen.  A huge grin spread across his broad face.  “Hulk like.”  He said.

You ran your palm down one of his fingers.  They were so large that even at the broadest part of your hand it didn’t cover his finger the whole way.  “I have to go away, Hulk.”  You said.

“You shop? Buy Hulk candy.”  He said.

“No, big guy.  I need to go back to my job.”  You explain.

“When come back?”  He asked furrowing his brow.

You looked up into his eyes.  The green looked muddier now that he’s worried. You continued to rub your hand over his fingers.  “Maybe next year.”  You suggested.

Hulk pulled his hand away and stared at you.  “No.  Stay.  Hulk want you to stay.”  He rumbled.

“I can’t.  I’m eating into my savings.  I need to go back to work.”  You tried to explain, not even sure if Hulk understands the concept of money or not.

Whether he did or not, he wasn’t happy.  He got to his feet and doubled over in pain.  “No.  No.  Hulk stay with you.”  He roared, slamming his shoulder into the ground.  His body seemed to twist and convulse and you rushed to him.

“What’s happening?  What’s wrong?”  You asked putting your hands on him and running them down his large arms as the muscles and bones shifted under them.

“Hulk stay!”  He roared even louder, but at the same time, it sounded far off.  He reached up to hold onto you.  His hands wrapped around your arms and he clung to you desperately.  “Hulk stay!”  He repeated, this time more like a plea.

“What’s happening?  What can I do?”  You asked running your hands along his jaw.  His whole form changed in front of you until instead of the huge, green, muscular Hulk, there was a small, scared, pale man cowering in front of you.  He looked around wildly as you scrambled back away from him.

You both stared at each other holding your hands out defensively.  He was sitting in a pool of the fabric that had made up Hulk’s pants.  You both start speaking at the same time.

“Who are you?”


	2. The Little Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the big guy you had been getting to know changes into a much smaller guy you offer him some help.

Bruce Banner scrambled back from you, the woman whose arms were just a moment ago wrapped around him.  You were a stranger but somehow you seemed familiar to him.  The last thing he remembered was being holed up in an apartment building in Florida.

Then… then… a swat team had bashed down his door.

He looked around panicked.  “Who are you?”

You both said the words at the same time and it startled him even more.  He looked around at the wide open field he was in.  It was bordered by forest and a cabin stood at one end and at the other, an old barn with brightly colored childish pictures painted down the side.

He looked down at himself.  He was naked and a chain of daisies hung around his neck.  Nothing was adding up.  He looked back up at you and saw the same confusion on your face.  “Where am I?  How long was he…?  Oh god, did he hurt you?  Are you okay?  What did he do?”  He said coming a little closer to you.

You stumbled back from him.  “You - you’re naked.”  You stuttered.

Bruce looked down at himself and quickly grabbed the oversized pair of pants that had pooled around his ankles and pulled them up covering himself awkwardly.  He looked down at himself again.  The pants were handmade, and a lot of care had been taken in the stitching.  The daisy chain still hung from his neck.  It was clear that daintier fingers than the other guy’s would have been needed to make it.  He looked over at the barn again taking in the simple artwork that reached high up on the wall and suddenly everything clicked in place.  “Have I been living here?”

“Who are you?”  You asked again, still cowering from him.  “What happened to Hulk?”

“That’s … I’m the Hulk,”  Bruce said, looking you up and down.  “Well, I mean, I’m not … did he hurt you?  What’s going on?  How long has it been?”

“How can you be Hulk?”  You yelled.  Bruce startled and backed away from you a bit more.

“It … I was doing these tests.  I made a miscalculation.   He’s the result.”  Bruce explained hoping you’d stop panicking soon because he really needed to panic right now.  “Please, when he’s in control I … I’m not anywhere.”

You shook your head.  “I don’t know.  You’ve been here with me for two months.”

“What’s the date?”  He asked you.  “And where’s here?”

You took a couple of deep steadying breaths, calming yourself.  You had just seen the giant green man you had been getting to know transform before your eyes into this much smaller white man.  If you could get used to the Hulk being around, you could get used to this.  “Come inside. I think there should be some clothes that fit you.  My dad and uncles come up here a lot.”

After you have given him a change of clothes and make him tea you sit down and fill him in.  You tell him the when and the where.  You tell him how you met the Hulk.  How you’d become friends.  That you were just planning on going back home because you needed to work.

He, in turn, tells you about the experiments that made him what he is.  How the government had come for him.  How they wanted to use him as a weapon.

“I can’t believe he was in charge for almost 4 months.  It’s usually something that goes away when I sleep.”  Bruce said, shaking his head.  “You’re sure he didn’t hurt you?”

“Do I look hurt?”  You asked.  The question had become a little tiresome and this whole situation was making you feel a little frayed at the edges.

“No.  But, that’s out of character.  I just - I can’t get my head around…”  He said shaking his head.  “You said he talked to you?”

“Yes.  We were friends.  Well, he’s kind of like a little kid.  But he’d come when there was cooking.  We played little games together.  He liked to paint and one time he sat still and let me paint his skin like it was a canvas.”  You explained.

Bruce shook his head again and he ran his hands through his hair.  “I don’t know what to do.  Or where to go.  All my stuff was in Florida.”

You sat back in your chair and rubbed your temples.  “We’re pretty far from Florida.”

“I know.”  Bruce lamented.

You didn’t say anything for a while.  “I’m completely cut off here.  You can stay but I don’t know what you would do for money.  And other people in my family come up here.”

“I know.  That’s - that’s not fair to you.  I’ll try and figure something out.  If I had a phone maybe… I don’t know.”  He said looking at his hands.

You sighed and there was a silence again for a few moments.  “You can come and stay with me.  I don’t know.  If you’re really wanted.  I live in the city.  But I have a loft and it’s big.  There’s a rooftop garden.  You can stay.  Figure out your next move.”

He looked at you like a hopeful puppy.  All that was missing was the wagging tail.  “Really?  You wouldn’t mind?”

“No.  That’s okay.  I don’t know you, but I knew him.  I’ll trust you because I trust him.”  You answered.

Bruce shook his head like he was trying to clear it.  “That was not something I thought I’d ever hear in my lifetime.  I really don’t understand anything that’s happening right now.”

You and Bruce made the long drive back into the city with only two stops. You got fuel and grabbed some gas station snacks and the crappy egg salad sandwiches they sold and then stopped at the next rest stop to eat them.  It was one of those ones that always seem like the place hill people select their next victims in b grade horror movies.  You’d stretched and eaten by the side of the road before moving on your way.

By the time you arrived home, it was past midnight and you were both exhausted but you knew a whole lot more about each other.  This small soft-spoken man was the opposite of the Hulk in so many ways but it was strange because you could still see him in there.

You led him up to your loft.  It was a large industrial style space that was broken into two.  The first part was your living room, gallery, kitchen, and studio.  There were racks of finished paintings standing on one side of the room and racks of empty canvases on the other.   Several of your favorite paintings hung on the wall and there were a few unfinished pieces next to crates of paints and brushes in the corner.  A large couch sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table covered in stacks of sketchbooks and piles of pencils and charcoal.  The room on the other end of the loft was your bedroom on the left and a bathroom with an old clawfoot tub on the right.

“The couch folds out.”  You said pointing to it.  “I’ll get you some blankets.  I might have some of my exes clothes here.  He was bigger than you.  If you tell me your size I can duck out and get you some more clothes.”

“You don’t need to do that,”  Bruce said meekly, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.  “You’ve already done enough.”

You waved him off.  “You can’t just wear ill-fitting clothes the whole time.  I sewed for Hulk, I can shop for you.  I have to go out anyway buy some food.”  You grabbed some blankets, sheets, pillows, and towels and brought them back to him in a stack.  “Here you go.  The bathrooms through there.”  You said, pointing.  “I’m just going to get ready to sleep and crash after that make yourself at home.

The following day you made good on your promise going out and picking up groceries and clothes.  When you get home you try to get your life back on track.  Returning to your art as Bruce tries to figure out what to make his next move.

That took a lot longer than you both thought.  He had money but accessing it meant the government would be able to track him.  He had friends and people in the deep web but he wasn’t sure which of them had sold him out.

You would tell him it was fine but to begin with it kind of wasn’t.  It was hard working with him always around.  It was hard to relax.  Letting a strange man stay with you occasionally felt like the stupidest thing you could possibly have done.  But as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months it became fine.  He helped out around the apartment, cleaning, filing your paintings.  He worked in the garden.  He fixed those little niggling issues that had been plaguing the place.  He helped you with some IT things, setting up a website to organize clients to come through and to sell paintings online.  He kept saying these things weren’t his expertise but he did them without being asked anyway.

He started doing science in a corner you let him set up for himself.  Often just checking his own blood.  Not that he exactly had a lab anymore.  You’d bought a few second-hand things for him on eBay.  You felt like you owed him for the things he had done for you, even though he said he’d done them because he owed you for what you’d done for him.

You missed the Hulk occasionally but there were times when you could see a green glint in his eyes or he’d smile a certain way and you could see him as clear as day.

On paper, you and Bruce Banner were so different.  He was quiet and analytical.  He liked logic and structure.  Science was his passion and put so much of himself into it.  Whereas you were chaotic and noisy.  You liked mess and sound.  You were an artist right down to your core.  Yet somehow you just worked well together.  Gradually you realized that this wasn’t just the feeling you had for your friends.  You were actually a little bit in love with him.

It was a Wednesday night and you were taking a bath.  You had a bath pillow behind your head and there were candles burning on the windowsill.  You had thrown a bath bomb in the water and now you sat soaking in the vanilla scented water that swirled, pink and blue around you.

There was a knock on the door and when you told him it was safe, Bruce came in holding two mugs in his hands.

“Made you tea.”  He said offering you a cup.

You took it and had a sip watching Bruce as he sat on the end of the tub.

“I made contact with a friend of an old colleague.  I haven’t said who I am exactly or where.  I think he might be able to help me with at least a part of my problem and if he’s gone, then the military might stop caring about me too.”  He said.

“I wish you wouldn’t call him a problem.”  You said putting your cup down on the corner of the bath.  

Bruce sighed.  “You don’t know what it’s like.  I lose time.  He destroys things.  I never know if I’ve hurt or killed people when I come back.”

You rubbed his leg, leaving a wet patch on his pants.  “I know.  But he’s not bad.  I think he’s trying to protect you.”

“He hates me,”  Bruce said.

You shrugged.  “If you say so.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment.  He just sat holding his tea and looking down into the colorful water.

“Why don’t you get in?”  You asked.

He looked at you startled.  “What?”

“Get in with me.”  You repeated.

He looked around the room and a deep blush crept into his cheeks.  “But…”

“I’ve seen you naked before.  And you’re comfortable enough to just be sitting there.  Why not?”  You asked.  It wasn’t a demand.  Just a suggestion.  He looked at you trying to assess if you were serious before putting his own mug down and getting up.

He stripped off his clothes turned away from you like he was trying to keep his modesty.

“You want me to close my eyes?”  You asked.

He shrugged a little and turned to face you pushing his pants down and quickly stepping into the water.  The water level rose right to the lip but didn’t spill over.  There was a moment where Bruce didn’t seem to know where he wanted to put his feet, but eventually, he nestled them in on each side of your hips.

“You don’t seem very relaxed.”  You teased.

“I just - you don’t think this is weird?”  He asked.

“I would have thought given how we met, nothing is really that weird.”  You answered relaxing back in the water.  He kept staring at you, his body stiff and uncomfortable looking.  “Bruce.  You didn’t have to get in you know.”

He didn’t say anything, he just kept staring.  “I like you too, you know?”

You looked him in the eye.  “I know.”

“It can’t happen.  I want it to.  But… I have such a thin hold and if he comes out…”  He said.

“What?  I’d show him my art and we’d do some painting together?  It’s not like my loft isn’t big enough to hold him.”  You shot back.  “I know him, Bruce.  Better than you do.”

Bruce sighed and looked you over.  For a moment you thought he was angry at you. He suddenly lunged forward making the water from the bath splash violently over the side and his mouth was on yours.  You wrapped your arms around him and sinking back into the water and smiling into the kiss.


	3. The Little Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking good for you and Bruce Banner. But when you date a fugitive it’s easy for that to get taken away.

It was waking up with Bruce that you love best.  The way he is always curled right into you with his lips pressed against your shoulder and his arm draped over your waist.  The fact he always wakes as soon as you try to move away and pulls you to him.  How he always says good morning like he’s surprised that you’re still there.  How his voice is soft and gravelly from sleep.  It was the time of day when you could forget he was on the run from the government.  Where you felt totally normal.

So when you wake, you try to hold on to it.  You stay as still as you can and just watch him.  You take in every line of his face, and gray hair peppered in with his brown.  The way his breath feels warm against your skin as his chest gently rises and falls relaxes and calms you.  You try to match your breathing to his, letting that gentle rhythm ease you back into a feeling of safety.

You shift a little putting your hand on his hip and he snuggles into you humming.  His eyes slowly opened and he looked up at you, a soft smile on his lips.

“Hey.  Good morning.”  He rumbled, pulling himself a little tighter against you.

“Morning.”  You whisper, leaning down and capturing his lips with yours.

He deepens the kiss and you hook your leg over his hip.  This was another thing you love about mornings with Bruce Banner.  It’s when he is most relaxed and he felt the most comfortable in his skin.  He has no fear of the Hulk taking control.

His hand slides over your ass and he pulls you tight against him.  His morning erection presses against your pubic mound and you roll your hips forward, grinding against it.  He moans against your lips and his hand travels into your panties.

“I see you’re up.”  You tease when his mouth travels to your neck.

He giggles.  It’s almost childish and there’s a joy to it that makes your heart feel light.  You roll him on his back so you’re straddling him and start grinding on his cock.  He pulls your sleep shirt off over your head and immediately latches on to one nipple, nipping and sucking on it.  It tugs at you, making you moan and your cunt flood.

You tug on his hair, eliciting a deep rumble from him that lets you know Hulk has started waking up too.  Not that you’re worried.  You know he’ll stay back.  He cares about you.  Besides, he likes to watch.

“Bruce,” You whisper as you reach into his boxer shorts and wrap your hand around his cock.

He looks up slightly dazed.  “Huh?  Hmm…” He hums with that same gravelly tone he had just waking up and a bright green ring around the brown of his irises.  You answer by kissing him deeply and pushing his boxers down.  You tease the head of he his cock along your soaked panties and he makes a sound that is half whining, half frustrated growl.  You break the kiss and smirk down at him.  You slip your panties to the side and guide his cock so just the head is penetrating your cunt.

“Is this what you want, Bruce?”  You tease, squeezing your pelvic floor muscles tight.

He gives a strangled moan and his hand goes to your hips.  “Yes.  Please.”  He begs.

You lean in against his ear.  “Then take it.”  You whisper.

He groans and snaps his hips up, sinking in right to the hilt.  You gasp and throw your head back. He props himself up on us elbows and his mouth is on one of your breasts again.

You ride him.  Hard.  Sweat beads on your skin and you pant as you move up and down, up and down.  His cock penetrates you deeply.  You swirl your hips as you move so that it presses on a different spot each time you move.

Bruce’s fingers go to your clit and start drawing tight circles on it.  It sends a strong pulse of pleasure through you and you bite down on Bruce’s shoulder as you come.

Bruce starts fucking up into you as your orgasm shudders through you.  And with a few more thrusts he releases hot come deep into your cunt.

You collapse down on his chest panting and he runs his hands up and down your back.  “Did I say good morning yet?”  He asks and you both start laughing.  It feels comfortable and good.  How it should be.

You prop yourself you and look down into his eyes.  They’re full brown again.  Just Bruce looking up at you with his soft eyes and goofy grin.  You run your hands through his chest hair.  “Today feels like a pastry day.  I might go to that hippy shop…”

“Vegan whole foods market.” He corrects you.

“The hippy shop,”  You repeat.  “And get some danishes and things.  You wanna risk going out?”

He looks up at you, slightly hopefully.  He’s risked going outside a few times, but not many.  You know he’s getting stir crazy, but he is more scared than bored.  He reaches up and runs his hand along your jaw.  “I better not.  How about we go take a shower and then you go out and I’ll send some emails and make tea.”

So that’s what you do.  You shower together, which leads to more sex.  This time he’s more aggressive, holding you against the wall.  You kept chanting his name, partly because of the way he responded, partly to keep him present with you.

After you dress in comfortable clothes you kiss him goodbye.  He holds your face as you do.  Making it linger for longer.  Like he doesn’t want to let you go.

At the market the smell of coffee and spices makes you feel a little off so you don’t dawdle.  You select a half dozen different pastries.  Apple strudels, peach danishes, and chocolate croissants.  They get packed neatly into a white cardboard box and handed to you.

You head back home feeling good.  You know Bruce won’t have made tea yet.  The kettle will be boiling on the stove and the pot will be ready to go.  But he’ll be distracted by something on the computer and you can’t wait to see the sheepish expression on his face when you catch him.

When you head into the stairwell of your building a noise above you catches your attention.  Like a whole team of people running up the stair.  You look up and see what looks like fifty men all in combat gear and carrying assault rifles.

They’d found him.

“Bruce!”  You scream, running too danger rather than from it.  You drop the box and the pastries scatter, tumbling down the stairs.  “They found you!  Run!”

The team stops dead above you for a moment and then orders are barked.  Most of the group run up while three run down towards you.  “Run!  Bruce, Run!”  You scream.  One of the men grabs you and covers your mouth.  You bite his hand and scream for Bruce to run again as he drags you downstairs.  There is a crash above you as they smash in your door.  You scream again and as you get dragged out of the building.

Another set of hands is on you dragging you down a side alley.  People in the street are staring, and more military start forcing them away from the apartment block.

“How long have you been hiding, Doctor Banner?”  One of the men barks at you.  “Do you know about his condition?”

You don’t answer, you just scream for Bruce.

You hear gunfire and a huge roar and the side of your apartment blows out.   Out of the wreckage jumps the huge green form of the Hulk.  He lands on the sidewalk and people start firing on him.  He brushes the soldiers aside with as little thought as someone swatting at some annoying flies and he surveys the area.  When he spots you he roars again.  “Little girl!”  He shouts and bounds over to you.  One of the soldiers lets you go and starts firing on him.  The Hulk hits him sending him flying into a wall a full street away.  The other holds his handgun to your head.  “Make another move and I’ll take her out.”  He shouts.

Hulk looks at you, terror in his green eyes.  They dart around for a moment and he roars suddenly.  The man holding you startles and Hulk grabs the hand his gun is in, breaking it and the gun and then tossing him aside like a doll.  He scoops you up and bounds away.

He moves quickly.  Too fast for the military to keep up on the ground.  Helicopters come in and start firing.  He curls his body over yours to protect you from the bullets and crashes into a warehouse.  It’s full of machinery equipment and people working who scream and scatter at the sight of the huge green man that just burst through the wall.

Hulk puts you on your feet and assesses you, his huge hands running down your sides.  “Little girl okay?  You hurt?”  He grunts.

“I’m fine.  You have to get out of here.  Leave me.  I’ll just slow you down.”  You say putting your hands on his jaw to cup his face.

His eyes dart around wildly before settling back on you.  “No.  Can’t leave you.”

“You have to.  I don’t want this.  But you can’t get caught you know that.”  You plead pressing your forehead against his.

“Need to protect little girl.”  He grunts his hand tightening on you just a little.

“I’ll be fine.  I won’t know where you went.  Just please, big guy.”  You beg him, tears slipping from your eyes.

“Not this little girl.”  He rumbles.  “This one.”  He touches your finger to your stomach and looks into your eyes with a pained look.

It takes you a moment to connect the dots before you realize that Hulk’s senses must be extremely highly attuned.  The way you’d been feeling lately.  You were pregnant.  It hasn’t even occurred to you it was anything more than passing repulsion to certain smells.

You shake your head.  “He can’t know about that.  Please, big guy.  Just run and make sure he doesn’t come for me.  It’s not safe.  I’ll look after her.”

He looks at you in fear.  It’s such an alien look on his features.  A group of military men surges in through the door.  Hulk scoops you up again and bounds away from them again.   When he’s put some distance between himself and them he places you on the ground.  “Stay safe.”  He rumbles.

You rub his forearm and nod.  “You too.  I love you.  Both of you.”

He nods and bounds away again and you watch him disappear into the distance.


	4. The Big City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years on the run Bruce Banner is finally allowed to stop.

A lot happened after the Hulk left you in that warehouse.

It took less than five minutes for the army to find you.  They held you for two weeks trying to get information from you.  You stuck to your story.  Bruce Banner had been door knocking looking for work.  You’d hired him to help sort out your gallery.  The two of you had started a relationship.  You didn’t know about the Hulk.  You knew he was in trouble but not what kind.

After the two weeks, they’d let you go again but they kept watching you.  You were worried about them finding out about your daughter.  So after two weeks of pretending you didn’t know what was going on and faking a routine that they could predict, you used it to run.

It was not exactly easy being a fugitive and pregnant.  You needed medical care and you couldn’t rely on anyone.  Not to mention your skill set was far from marketable.  You had managed to cross the border into Canada with no problem.  In Canada, you went remote and ended up having your daughter in a small, rural hospital with documents faking your own identity.  So not only did her birth certificate not have her father’s name on it, it didn’t have your name either.

You named her Beatrix and for the next year, you kept moving.  You’d pause for a while only to get a whiff of the army and move again.  After two years of running, they stopped chasing.  You settled where you were.  That happened to be in a small beachside Australian town.  Your passport said you were Canadian and had a name that wasn’t yours.  Bea was Bea though her last name had changed.  She was small and smart.  Learning things at a much faster level than average children.

When you read about the incident in Manhattan where two monsters attacked each other, the photos made it clear that one was the Hulk.  It said one had been killed while the other had fled.  You were not sure which was which and for months you mourned.  Time waits for no man though, and you had a daughter who didn’t know why you were suddenly so upset and needed you to not completely fall apart.

So you raised your little Australian girl by the beach.  Moving on with your life.  You took up art again, selling it at markets on the weekend.  During the week you worked in a craft store.  You feared to send Bea to childcare, but so far so good.  After a year she had an Australian accent and had no idea who her family was.

Then, aliens attacked New York.  6 people made a stand and one of them was the Hulk.  It had felt like your heart had stopped when you’d first seen that flash of green on the screen.  Slowly more photos came out along with stories of him saving people and fighting aliens.

You scoured the news about it trying to figure out where he was after.  If he’d run again.  If this had changed things.  If you were safe.  For a while, there was no word at all.  He just seemed to vanish again.  You kept your eyes on the news hoping it was just a case of him keeping a low profile.  Tony Stark was talking about the group under the title the Avengers, but apart from the fact that you knew Thor left Earth and Tony returned to LA you had no idea where the others in the group went.

The next few months seemed to bring with it a series of large events.  Tony’s house was destroyed and he returned to New York.  Captain America had some incident in DC involving government secrets and Helicarriers being crashed into the heart of the city.

When the dust cleared the Stark Tower had been rebranded and you finally knew where you would find Bruce.   You packed up your home.  Sold your things and left for New York City.

The problem was, you hadn’t really thought out very well what you’d do when you got there.  You had booked a hotel.  That part was fine.  Temporarily.  You thought you could just show up at the tower and ask to see him and they’d let you in.  It didn’t really occur to you that the man you had known was now a celebrity and you couldn’t get anywhere near him.  All your pleading at the front desk landed on deaf ears.  They weren’t interested in your claims.  They were interested in keeping the fangirls away from the Avengers.

You tried calling.  Emailing.  You didn’t want to draw too much attention to yourself though because you were still worried about the government taking Bea from you.

It started to feel hopeless.  You were chewing through your money and nothing was working out.  You took Beatrix with you to the tower with one last hope maybe this time.

“Not you again.  Just leave.”  The receptionist snaps as soon as he sees you.

“If you could just listen,”  You plead.

“Please don’t make me call security when you’re with your little girl.”  The man says.

You sigh and turn around and a familiar looking man in a purple t-shirt comes strolling through the foyer with a Starbucks cup in his hand.  You pick up Beatrix and rush over to him.  “Mister… Hawk… Arrow … guy… person.”  You babble as you rush over to him.

He gives you a confused look but doesn’t break stride.  “Sorry.  I’m kinda late.  Do you want an autograph?  You probably should have learned my name.”

“Sorry, Agent Barton.”  The receptionist says chasing after you.  “Look, Miss.  I told you already.  Security!”

“Hey!  No need for that, Garry.  Let her talk.”  Clint says stopping and looking at you.

Now you have someone who might actually help, you’re not sure what to say.  “Umm… so this is Bea.”  You say, bouncing your three-year-old on your hip.

“Oh shit.  Is she mine?”  Clint asks looking wildly around the room.

“What?”  You scoff.  “No.”

“Tony’s?”  He presses.  “Sorry, ma’am.  If she’s a Stark there’s actual legal protocol you have to go through.”

“She’s not a Stark.”  You say.  You look down at Bea and glance around the room.  “Hey, sweetie.  Can you show the man your trick?  Just your eyes.”

She scrunches up her face.  “You said not to.”

“It’s okay.  Just this once.”  You press.

She looks up at Clint.  Her pupils dilate, blowing out her iris and as it readjusted where was brown was now an iridescent green.

“Holy shit!”  Clint gasps nearly spitting out a mouthful of coffee.  “Okay.  Right.  Sorry.  I guess… I guess you should both come with me.”

He leads you to the elevator and you put Beatrix back down.  “So how did… that is… Bruce doesn’t seem like the one-night stand type.”

“No.  It wasn’t.  We lived together.  And then they came for him.”  You say, running your hand through Beatrix’s hair.

“And he doesn’t know?”  Clint asks.

You shake your head.  “Hulk does.  I told him to keep it a secret.”

Clint stares at you, his eyes close to bugging out of his head.  He goes to say something shakes his head and closes his mouth.  The elevator doors open and he leads you inside.  “He should be in his lab.”

“He has a lab.”  You say to yourself.  Clint looks at you with his brow furrowed but doesn’t say anything.

You come around a corner and see him through a glass wall.  He’s moving around a lab, opening up screens and pressing buttons before moving to something else.  You suddenly get very nervous.  What if he doesn’t want to see you.  What if he rejects you both.

Clint just strides down the corridor and bursts through the door.  “Hey, Bruce.  Got a visitor for you.”

He looks up slightly startled like he’d been off in another world.  “What?”  He asks and looks over at you.  It’s like time stops.  He stares at you with his mouth open while you stand frozen.  He whispers your name and then rushes to you, wrapping you in his arms.   “Oh my god. I didn’t think I’d ever… I tried to find you but… how did you?”

You run your hands through his hair.  “It’s okay.  I’m here.”

He looks into your eyes for a moment, holding you like he’s worried you’ll disappear.  He reaches up and runs his hand along your jaw before leaning in and kissing you.  It’s tentative, to begin with.  Still not sure of where you both stand now.  When you return it, it deepens quickly.  He becomes frantic and passionate.  His tongue darts over your lips.

“Eww… mommy.”  Beatrix whines beside you.

“Yeah right, kid.  That’s a bit much.”  Clint adds.

Bruce pulls away from you and looks down at his daughter like he’s just realized she’s there.  “Who - who is this?”

“That’s Bea.  Beatrix.  Bruce.  She’s yours.”  You explain.

He stumbles back from you his hand on his heart.  “What?  How?  But we were…”

“Bruce.”  You say calmly walking after him.  “You stay with me.  We need to address this.”

Clint picks up Bea.  “I don’t think this is a good idea, lady.  We should get out of here.”

You wave him away.  “It’s fine.”  You say.  “Big guy.  I mean it.  You stay where you are.  Bruce has to hear this.”

Bruce’s hand opens and closes on his chest.  “Is she?  Does she?”

You cup his jaw and look into his eyes.  “Bruce.  Look at me.”  You say.  His eyes dart everywhere.  “She’s your daughter and if you don’t want anything to do with her I can’t force you.  But I know that’s not you.”

He looks into your eyes and then at the little girl in Clint’s arms.  “She’s healthy?  You’re both okay?”

“Maybe you two should have this conversation where there is coffee?  I can take care of Bea?”  Clint suggests.

Bruce took you to his apartment and you both sat on the couch drinking tea as you told him about everything that had happened since you last saw him.  He told you about him too.  Living in South America.  The fight in Harlem.  Moving to India.  The battle for Manhattan.  You then told him about Beatrix.

“So she has it?”  He asks, looking as scared as you’ve ever seen him.

“Yes, but it’s different.  She doesn’t become another person.  And it’s not because she’s angry.  She just randomly decides to do it sometimes.  I have thankfully managed to get her to stop doing it in public.”  You explain.

“So she’s okay?  I didn’t curse her?”  He asks.

“No.  She’s fine.  She’s a healthy 3-year-old.”  You say.

“Can I meet her?”  He asks.

You smile and rub his thigh.  “I’d love that.  I want you to know her.  To be her dad.”

“JARVIS, can you tell Clint he’s safe to come back?”  He says.

“Right away, Doctor Banner.”  A male voice says filling the room and making you jump.

Clint returns leading Beatrix in the door.  “Hey Bea, come here.”  You say.

She runs over to you in that waddle that small children do and falls into your arms.  “Bea, this man is …”  You look up at Bruce not sure what to say.

He smiles softly at the little girl.  “I’m your dad.”  He says.


	5. The Little Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bruce fall back into your relationship and you start getting your actual life back. An attack on Avenger’s Tower means that the Hulk needs to come out to protect your little family.

Bruce Banner had never expected to be a father.  Even before the accident that had given a body to one of his fractured personalities he’d been too scared for that.  He didn’t know what a good dad looked like.  When he thought of what a father was it was violence and fear.  There was no love involved.  No protection.  Not justice.  Just pain and terror and getting to watch as his mother was murdered.

So he’d thrown himself into work.  Science he knew.  He was good at it.  His personal relationships grew out of work because when you both know the science you can connect and you don’t have to worry about it being too personal.

The accident had pushed any other fleeting thoughts about parenthood had been pushed away.  Even if he had intense therapy and worked out his issues and managed to absorb back his fractured personalities, he couldn’t risk passing on what he’d done to himself to a child.  He could risk the Hulk with a child.

Yet here she was.  Beatrix was little and mousey.  She was smart and a little shy.  Sometimes she could make herself triple in size and turn green, but it was like a party trick and it didn’t change who she was inside.  And she was his.  She was his and he loved her the moment he first held her in his arms.

Not that the fear was completely washed away.  Oh, it was still there, but to see her and to know for a fact that yes, she had this thing, but it wasn’t impeding her or harming her the way it did him took a weight off his shoulders.  Spending time with her made him realize that he could never be the man his father was.  That man was more of a monster than the Hulk could ever be.  There was no room in Brian Banner’s heart for love.  Only jealousy.  Whereas Bruce was not that.  He was never that.

Falling back into a relationship with you was the easiest thing he has ever done.  It felt like there had never even been a break.  That the running and fighting and terror of the time apart was just some bad dream he had and it was all okay because he’d woken up safe in your arms.

You getting your old name back was easy.  You still existed as a person legally.  You just had to start using your original ID again.  Beatrix was harder.  Her mother’s name was listed as completely wrong on her birth certificate.  Bruce employed a whole slew of lawyers to fix things up.  It took some time, but eventually, her birth certificate was changed so the mother was listed under your actual name and the father was listed as one Doctor Bruce Banner.  Beatrix Abigale whose last name changed like water finally had it set.  She is Beatrix Abigale Banner.

Morning is still your favorite.  It is more hectic than it was back in the days when he lived with you in your art gallery.  Beatrix wakes up and needs breakfast.  Bruce actually has a job he needs to get to.  Even with the chaos, there is still this hour, just as the sun rises and starts creeping through the curtains, where everything is quiet and nothing needs to be done.  You feel at peace and home wrapped in each other’s arms.

He wakes just after you and his brown eyes blink up at you.  “Morning, beautiful.”

“Morning, my love.”  You reply.  He brings his lips to yours and the kiss starts soft and gentle.  A slow caress of his lips against yours.  It deepens quickly and he rolls over, pressing you into the mattress, his kiss hungry and passionate.  You moan into his lips and hook a leg around his waist, drawing him in closer to you.

“What are you up to?”  You ask, slightly breathless, as his mouth moves to your throat and his hand moves up under your tank top.  “You know she’ll be up soon.”

“I’ll be really quick.”  He teases, smiling up at you sheepishly.

Like your words have summoned her, you hear the small thuds of her footfalls as Beatrix runs up the hall.  Bruce rolls back to his side of the bed as she throws the door open and runs into the room climbing up into the bed.

“Morning, Bea.”  You say, pulling your daughter into your arms.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,”  Bea says.

Bruce moves to get out of bed, swinging his legs over the side.  “How about you and me make mommy breakfast in bed, hey Bea?  That could be fun.”

“Piggyback me, Bwuce.”  Beatrix squeals running at his back and jumping on.

He laughs and gets up, carrying her out of the room.  You lie back and close your eyes pulling your blankets backup so you can enjoy the little extra sleep that has just been offered to you.  You are just drifting back off to sleep when there is a loud explosion and the whole building shudders.

You stumble out of bed and start running towards the kitchen when there is another explosion.  You move faster and nearly slam right into Bruce who has a crying Beatrix in his arms.

“What is going on?”  You ask as he puts his arms around you and ushers you into the living room.

“Don’t know.  Hopefully, it’s something of Tony’s gone wrong.  But just in case, we’re going to very calmly take the stairs down and get out of here.”  He says leading you out to the hall.  Despite him trying to stay calm, you can see the tinge of green around his neck and ears.

You got to the stairwell, it is noisy with people deciding if they should go up to face what was happening or down and out of the building.  There is another building shaking explosion and Bruce makes a pained sound as he starts moving downwards.

Above you, you hear Steve Rogers bark something to someone else and as you move down the stairs you are pushed past by Sam.  “Do you know what’s happening?”  Bruce asks.

“Something hit us.  Missiles?  There are a few large holes in the building.”  Sam yells back to you as he keeps going up.

“Shit,”  Bruce mutters, but there is a little something else to his voice.  You keep moving down as quickly as your legs can take you.  There’s now the sounds of a warning system telling people to evacuate the area along with gunfire.

Your lungs start to burn as you struggle to pull in air.  The apartments in the tower are twenty floors up and not even halfway down you feel panic set in.  Beatrix keeps crying and while Bruce keeps telling her it’ll be okay the green spreads down his neck and you can tell he’s barely keeping it together.

“Bruce,”  You pant, putting your hand on his arm.  “Let him take over. He can get us down safely.”

“Can’t.  Not with Bea.  Not safe.”  He says.  The words come out pained and broken and you grab his arm.

“Give me, Bea.”  You say, taking her from him.  “I trust him.  So trust me.  Let it happen or there’s a chance we’re not making it out of here.”

“Stand back.”  He growls doubling over.  You move further down the stairs and look up at him as the clothes tear from his back and his muscles contort and expand.

With a huge roar, the Hulk straightens himself up and looks around wildly.  His eyes fall on you and a big grin spreads across his face.  “Little girl!”

“Big guy!” You say and beckon him toward you.  He takes a couple of slow steps down and stops and points at Beatrix.  You shake your head.  “We gotta get out of here Big Guy.  Safety first then I’ll tell you about her.”

He grunts and nods before scooping you both up in his arms.  Beatrix puts her hands on Hulk and smiles at you.  “Like me.”

“That’s right.  Daddy is like you.”  You say.  The Hulk looks down at you both and smiles again before jumping off the side of the stairs and plummeting down the remaining ten floors.  Beatrix squeals with delight and just before you hit the ground, Hulk puts his arm out and grabs hold of the stairs slowing his fall so he lands lightly on his feet.

He pushes his way outside and is fallen upon by men dressed in black, he bats them away with a roar and heads south-east fast enough to make your eyes water.  When he reaches Bryant Park he puts you down and looks back at the tower and then to you.

“Go!  Help them.  We’ll be here.”  You say.

He nods and gives another grunt before returning to the fight.  You stand in the crowd of people who all stand, staring up at the Avengers Tower watching the battle take place.  You hear a lot of muttering about how dangerous it is to have it in the middle of the city like that.  You just ignore it.  They do have a point.

Beatrix starts to fuss so you take her to the fountain and she starts to splash in it.  It’s not until late afternoon that things settle back down.  You hadn’t eaten because all the cafes had closed up and Beatrix is barely holding herself together.  At one point she just passes out while she is crying.

Hulk appears and glances around.  You pick up Beatrix and rush over to him.  He points at you.  “Little girl.  Hulk’s?”

You nod.  “Yeah.  Well, Bruce’s but two for one right?”

He scowls at you for a moment and nods with a huff.  You put Beatrix down and she looks up at the lumbering man.  “Mommy, I wanna be green too.”

You laugh.  “Okay, honey.”

She grins up at the Hulk and starts to change.  Tripling in size and gaining muscle mass.  When she’s done she’s about the height of a child in their early teens but she still has that little kids look.  Her skin is the same shade as Hulks.

Hulk claps his hands and offers one to Beatrix.  “Hello, little girl.”  He rumbles.

“Hello,”  Beatrix replies and takes hold of his finger.

You sit down and watch as the two of them start to play.  Hulk is gentle and loving with her.  They play fight but he lets her win, falling to the ground when he’s tapped.  He tosses her in the air but never very high and she squeals and laughs.  They chase each other and he never runs fast enough to catch her until he can tell she wants to be caught.

As the sun started to go down you approached them both.  “Hey, Big Guy.  She’s gotta eat and I don’t know, figure out where we’re sleeping while that gets fixed.”

Hulk frowns at you.  “Hulk and little girl play.”

“You can play again.  We aren’t going anywhere. Just we haven’t eaten all day.”  You say.

He grunts and nods before picking Beatrix up and holding her over his head.  “Bye-bye, little girl.  Hulk loves you.”

Beatrix smiles.  “I wuv you too.”  She says and plants and kiss on his cheek before slowly shifting back into the little girl you’re used to.  Hulk puts her down again and looks between you.  “You want Banner back?”

“If you don’t mind.”  You say putting your hand on his.

“Hulk not mind.”  He huffs.

“Maybe closer to the tower?”  You suggest.

He nods and scoops you both up before taking off towards the tower.  You can see Tony and Rhodey flying around the outside doing something to the damage and Steve is standing at the base.  He smiles at you as Hulk puts you both.  Hulk looks at you one last time before shifting back, hunched over and making pained grunting sounds.

When he’s returned to Bruce he looks around wildly and rushes to, holding his pants to him and wrapping his arms you in his arms and kiss you both.  “Are you okay?  What happened?”

“We’re fine.  He got us to safety, and came back and fought.  Then when he came to get us he played with Bea for a while.”  You explain.

“I liked the Hulk, daddy.  We had fun.  I’m really hungry now.”  Beatrix adds.

Bruce looks from Beatrix to you.  “She called me daddy.  You called me daddy?”

Beatrix scowls at him.  “‘Cause you’re my daddy.”  She says like she’s angry that he didn’t know that.

He hugs you both tightly and buries his face in your neck.  “I love you both so much.”

“We love you too.”  You whisper, stroking his hair.

He pulls back and looks down at you.  “I wanna get married.”

You blink back at him and your mouth drops open.  “I - uh … what?”

“Marry me?  I have a ring.  But I wanna get married.  Be a family.  Maybe have more kids?”  He says.

You stare at him unable to gather your thoughts.  “You have a ring?”

“Yes.  It’s upstairs.  Please?  Will you marry me?”

You open and close your mouth like a fish for a moment.  “Yes.  Yes.  I will marry you.”

Bruce pulls you back toward him and kisses you deeply until Beatrix makes another sound of disgust.

Bruce pulls back laughing.

“You need clothes and we need to eat.  That’s first.”  You say.  He nods and lets you go.

“Steve, what’s the deal?”  He asks, approaching the Captain.

You follow after him shaking your head and wonder if your little family was ever going to do things the normal way.


End file.
